Combination-operated mechanism



June 2, 1953 s, GIFFlN COMBINATION-OPERATED MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 27. 1951 INVENTOR. DWAI2D 6. G/FF/Al A TTOEA/EVS June 2, 1953 v 5 F N 2,640,346

COMBINATION- OPERATED MECHANISM Filed April 2'7, 195 1 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 AM -r INVENTOR. ACDWAED 6. G/FF/A/ 3 push button is practically the same as that of pushing a. control push button. In each instance the inclined surface of a striker wedgingly engages a strike carried by the controlled member disk, and the latter yields to such wedging action.

Other features, objects and advantages of the invention including various details of the preferred form thereof as mentioned above, will now be described with greater particularity by reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a push-button =operated combination lock embodying the invention, parts being broken away to show interior details.

Figure 2 is another perspective view of the same from a different aspect and showing other details by break-away sectioning.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating latch mecham'sm details.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the lock.

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 5-5 in Figure 4.

Figure dis a similar sectional view taken on line 6-6 in Figure 4.

Figure 7 is a similar sectional View taken on line l! in Figure 4.

Figure 8 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 8-8 in Figure 4 with the controlled member in its initial position.

Figure 9 is a view corresponding to Figure 8 with the controlled member in its second position established by pressing the first push button of the combination.

Figure 10 is a similar view in which the controlled member is in its third position established by pressing the second push button of the combination.

Figure 11 is a similar view in which the com trolled member is in its fourth and ultimate position established by completing the operating combination of the lock, the lock having three control push buttons and nine dummy push buttons in the illustrated case.

Tubular lock casing 28 supports and encloses all parts of the combination-operated lock mechanism except the push buttons 22 and the end of a slide rod 24 having a handle 26. The push buttons are slidably mounted in circular series arrangement concentrically of the casing, in an end closure plug 28 threaded into the end of such casing. The rod 24 passes slidably through a central bore in this plug.

In the illustrated case the reciprocable rod 24 constitutes an automobile ignition switch control rod. Details of an ignition switch and of its connection to the control rod are omitted from the drawings as they form no part of the present invention. In its position shown in Figure 4 the control rod is locked against lengthwise reciprocation in a position which would correspond to theautomobile ignition switch being held open. A part of latch 30 (Figures 3 and 4) is lodged in a notch 32 in the rod and must be lifted therefrom by proper actuation of the numbered push buttons 22 before the'control rod can be moved lengthwise to close the automobile ignition switch and start its engine. The present invention concerns novel combination operated mechanism by which the latch is actuated to release the control rod or other locked member.

The latch 30 comprises two parallel plates 3% and 30b of general crescent shape, one immediately adjacent to each side of a supporting disk 34 which is threaded into the lock casing is and held by tubular spacers 35 some distance from the closure plug 28. Corresponding ends of the two latch plates are pivoted coaxially by a pivot pin 35. Such pin passes snugly through a bore in the disk 34 located out from the latters center such that the general midportion of the latch plate 3% will drop into the notch 32 of the control rod 2 5, shown in Fig. 4, when such plate is swung inward toward the rod. The swinging ends of plates 39a and 30b are interconnected by a pin 38 passing through an arcuate slot 40 in the disk 34. Swinging of plate 38a will effect simultaneous swinging of plate 30?). Such swinging of plate 30:: is eifected by a force exerted by the lock.

mechanism controlled member on a pin 46 carried by a tab 34 projecting radially inward from approximately the central portion of the plate. Upon release of this pin by the controlled mechanism, a latch return spring 42, shown in Figures. 3 and 4 as being connected between an extension of pin 33 and an anchor pin M on disk 34, urges the latch plates toward the control rod. Normally, therefore, the central portion of plate sob contacts the rod to drop into its notch whenever it registers with such plate as the rod is reciprocated. Plate 390: is curved much sharper than plate 3% to dispose the inner end of tab 3| always outwardly of the central inner edge portion of plate 381) a distance greater than the depth of notch 32, to clear rod 24.

Lift pin 46 is engageable by and rides on a spiral cam 48 projecting from the adjacent face of a rotative disk 5B located adjacent the latch-supporting disk 35. The disk 50 carrying the spiral cam constitutes the controlled member of the illustrated mechanism. When this disk and its cam are progressively rotated in the direction of increasing radius of the cam spiral contacted by the lift pin 46 the latter is pressed outwardly against the force of spring d2 to raise the latch 30 out of locking engagement with the notch 32 in the control rod. The total angle through which the revoluble disk must rotate to clear the latch strip 381) from the rod notch 32 need not be great. However, friction of the lift pin 46 on the cam surface, opposing rotation of the cam, may become excessive if the cam spiral pitch or slope is made too great in an efi'ort to minimize the rotation angle of the cam necessary to unlock the control rod 24.

The novel combination operated mechanism of this invention utilizes the push buttons 22 for moving the controlled member (disk 50) in a manner which will now be described. In the illustrated case the push buttons numbered I2, 4 and 8, in that sequence of actuation, represent the operating combination of the lock. The remaining push buttons, namely those numbered I, 2, 3, 5, 6, l, 9, H3 and II, are dummies or reset buttons.

Each of the push buttons constitutes an endwise extension of a separate plunger rod 220: of rectangular cross section. A circular plate 52 is clamped by screws upon the inner end of the closure plug 28 and has rectangular openings aligned with the push button bores in the plug, in which openings the respective plunger rods may slide lengthwise but cannot rotate. Push button return springs 22b encircling the individual rods 22c bear against the plate 52 and urge the push buttons outwardly.

The inner ends of the plunger rods 22a associated with control push buttons carry cylindrical strikers 54 the butts of which act as pushbutton return stops and the tips of which project toward the revoluble disk 50.

These strikers are of e ual. n th n eah ha n i e nd 3%? defisl kd W a o tudin y nc in fli i plan which intersects the plane containing the lock casing axis and the. particular plunger axis in a radial line which is perpendicular to both of these axes, The revoluble disk 5,8. has. a circular group ofv arcuate slots 56;, 56b, 55c, red and the which in the initial position of the. disk preparator-y. to pressing the first push button (it) of the lock combination bear the relationship. to the different push buttons as shown in Figure 8. In this initial rotated position of the disk 56 its apertures. 56,0 and 566 are in registry with the control push buttons numbered 4 and '5, respectively, and when these. push buttons. are pressed inward and then released their cylindrical str kers merely move in. and, out of the registered apertures without contacting the disk do. How-- ever hould the initial, push button of the combination, namely No. 12, be pressed, the. inclined face of its striker 5A advances into wedging sliding contact. with one end of the circumferential sl t. 5.5a, constituting a striker abutment, As the 1 1 511. button [2 is, advanced further, the, inclined face oi its striker sliding against such slot end causes the revoluble disk 50 to, rotate. slightly by circumferential wedging action of the striker. 'Ifihe disk moves clockwise as viewed in Figure 8,. Following completion of the. inward stroke of pushbutton [2 the revoluble disk is left rotatively positioned as in Figure 9 and the striker of the second push button of the combination, namely No. 4, is now aligned with the corresponding end edge of the slot 56b. If this push button is then pressed the revoluble disk 59 will be rotated by I another increment in the same direction as previously by circumferential wedging action of this push buttons striker. On the other hand should either of the push buttons H2 or 8 be pressed instead, their strikers will move in and out of the openings 01" slots 55a and 56c, respectively, and have no eifect.

Following actuation of push button :1, the second in the combination, the revoluble disk is rotatively positioned as in Figure 10;. Now the push buttons 12 and 4 are fully aligned with the openings of the respective slots 55a and 551) whereas the striker of push button 8' is enabled to rotate the disk by another increment by wedging engagement of such strikers inclined face with the end edge ofslot- 56d. That completes the combination and positions the revoluble disk as in Figure 11.

' The accumulative effect upon the latch position of incremental movements of the disk 50 effected by pressing the control push buttons in proper-se uencemay be'noted by reference to the progressive positioning of the latch lift pin 46 efiected y ation. of. mm as. as illustrated in Figures 8 to 11, inclusive. The position of the latch shown clearly-inFigure 3 corresponds with the operatin position of; the parts attained in Figure 11, the control rod 24, being releasedfor lengthwise movement unrestrained by the latch plate b,

The rotative disk 50 carrying the latch-actuating spiral cam 58 remains in its position of Figure 11 until one of the dummy push buttons, I, 2, 3, 5, 6, I, 9, it or II is pressed, the disk apertures 56a, 56b, and 56d being then in registry with the strikers of the respective push buttons 12, i and 8. Upon the inner end of each plunger rod 22a of the dummy push buttons is carried a radially elongated striker or foot 58. A disk 60 is slidably received inside a cylindrical skirt 28a f spr g as.

const tutingan n areeri nsue o e. l sure Plus &3- l

a. am-l ke r rn q e n str ker t2 he rm o a o l w lind r 5. 0 11- e ie item the nner ace o h ide dis 6. owa d he re uhl d sk 0 Fi ur iie d; fac at this striker is helically inclined with relation to he retationn ax ofv the di k e an es se sta a a u he om. e ualapur x ma e y to the average radius of the arcuate slots 5.6. in such The. tip-of this striker 62- appears in each o Fi ure 8 to .1., nc us ve; and alway e uch rctat v pos i nb a rai o h rs t on. he Slide d k; ns-a ywar e skirt. 2 81;. of the closure plug to locate. the disk in, correct circumferential position. Such holds. o th d a ains ro a o a o. vents it rem bindi g n. e hanks, of th cy i dri al st k r hic p ss. s idably r u h. he. disk 60.

A spring at encircling the rod 24 rea ting from; the rotative disk ti), urgesv the slide disk. to against the feed 5,8, of the dummy or resetting push buttons; 22, with. the cam-like striker 62 withdrawnfrom the, revoluble disk. as. shown. in Figure 4;. When any of; the. dummy push tons: is; pressed, therefore, its toot. advances. the slide. hence the resetting, striker '52., toward the rotatiye. disk. against. the increasing, pressure If the rotative. disk is: then in its initial, position, as shown in Figures '7 and 8, the striker 52- will simplyenter the arcuate. slot 5.8a. without contacting the revoluble disk, so; that. the latters; Lon will remainv unchanged. by pressr dummy push button. However, one of the dummy push buttons. is pressed at. any stage of: completion of the. operating combination of the lock, depicted in any of Figures 9, 1.0. or 11-, then the helically inclined inner end of thestriker will contact. the end at the. slot iifidawayfrom the striker of control push button I12 Such Contact, will; be. made at. an. earlier point during the progressive inward movement of: the dummy push. button being pressed if: the revoluble disk til; is, positioned at, the second stage 015' the. operating eombination,.as shownin Figure 9, than w on it positioned; in, the succeeding stage. of Figure; 10, and still more. so than when disk seis in. its ultimate position shown Figure 11-.

In any case, however, progressive, inward advance of any dummy push: button, hence. of the camstriker 52;, causes: progressive wedging. of the latter against the end. of: slot, 53a. to; rotate the disk. 50. backward fiully: to its. initial: position, or counterclockwisein any of Figures 8 toll, in? elusive. Thus, the. dummy pushbuttons serve. as a means. of. disengaging the spiralcain 485.1rom the; latch. lif pin. it; to enable. reloeking. of. the control. rod it when. it. is moved lengthwise. until 1117535101 32;; attainsregistrywith the. springutgecl latch. 353.; The. latch return. spring i2: W111i then complete the. locking opcrationbysnapping the latch plate; 3.322. down. intothe. rod notch.

In. operating the novel push button combination lock, therefore, thetinitial. step required is to press one of the dummy push buttons in order to position the revoluble disk 50 at its starting point in which its latch-release spiral cam 18 is retracted circumferentially from the latch lift pin 46 and the end edge of the slot 56a is aligned with the inclined end face of the striker 54 of push button 82 (Figure 8). Then the push buttons l2, s and 8 are pressed sequentially in the order named to rotate the disk 50, hence the cam 48, progressively by increments until the final position of Figure 11 is reached in which the latch lift pin 46 has ridden to its maximum high point on the spiral cam 48. The latch Plate 301) is then clear of the control rod notch 32 and the control rod unlocked for lengthwise movement to operate the automobile ignition switch or other controlled device.

As a further refinement of the combinationoperated mechanism, the peripheral edge of the revoluble disk 50 has a succession of detent holes 50a each of which is engaged by a spring-urged detent ball 66 in a difierent position of the disk representing a stage of the operating combination of the lock. The detent 66 holds the disk 50 against rotation out of any of its established interim positions through the effects of vibration, pounding or other disturbing influences which might otherwise dislocate the settings of the latch release cam 48. Moreover, the detent 65 holds the disk 50 against the slight restoring force exerted upon it by latch return spring 42 which presses the latch lift pin 46 against the sloping surface of the spiral cam 48.

Although the control push button strikers have been illustrated and described as producing cumulative incremental shifts or progressive movement of the revoluble disk 50 in the same direction to complete the mechanism combination, it will be seen that one or more interim control buttons in a more complex version of the mechanism might be designed to produce reverse or subtractive movement of such disk. Also the increments of movement of the disk elfected by the control push button strikers need not necessarily be equal; thus the inclination of their wedging surfaces may diifer. The actuation movement of all the push buttons is preferably made equal, however.

I claim as my invention:

1. Combination-operated mechanism comprising a controlled member, means guiding said controlled member for movement between an initial position and a final position, a plurality of manually shiftable elements guided for independent reciprocation, and controlled member moving means comprising first advancing actuating means operated by reciprocation of one of said elements and operable to effect incremental movement of said controlled member from its initial position toward its final position, second advancing actuating means operated by reciprocation of a second of said elements and operable to effect a further incremental movement of said controlled member toward its final position, a return single wedging member operable to effect movement of said controlled member toward its initial position, and means movable by any of a plurality of said manually shiftable elements and operable by movement thereof to effect wedging actuation of said single wedging member to efiect return movement of said controlled member.

2. The mechanism defined in claim 1, wherein the controlled member is a disk, the advancing actuating means include controlled member advancing strikers which are generally cylindrical rods having elliptical inclined end faces constituting wedging surfaces, and the return single wedging member is an arcuate striker having a helical end face wedgingly engageable with the controlled member.

3. Mechanism defined in claim 1, wherein the means movable to effect wedging actuation of the striker is a spring-returned disk carrying the striker and axially reciprocable by reciprocation of any one of the manually shiftable elements engageable therewith.

4. Combination operated mechanism comprising a plurality of plungers havin wedging surfaces on corresponding ends thereof, means supporting said plungers and guiding them for independent lengthwise reciprocation, a controlled member having a plurality of elongated apertures therein of substantially equal length, one corresponding to each of said plungers, and each of said apertures havin thereacross between its ends a bridge engageableby the wedging surface of the plunger corresponding to such aperture, and the bridge in each aperture being located in a position along the length of such aperture difierent from the position of the bridge along the length of another aperture, and means guiding said controlled member for movement lengthwise of its apertures by the force exerted by the wedging surface of the plunger aligned with the bridge in its corresponding aperture engaging such bridge, the other plungers being movable unobstructedly through their apertures.

5. Combination operated mechanism comprising a plurality of plungers having wedging surfaces on corresponding ends thereof, means supporting said plungers arranged in a circle in substantially parallel relationship and guiding them for independent lengthwise reciprocation, a controlled disk having a plurality of arcuate elongated apertures therein of substantially equal circumferential length, one corresponding to each of said plungers, and each of said apertures having thereacross between its ends a radially extending bridge engageable by the wedging surface of the plunger corresponding to such aperture, and the bridge in each aperture being located in a position along the length of such aperture different from the position of the bridge along the length of another aperture, and means guiding said controlled member for rotary movement by the force exerted by the wedging surface of the plunger aligned with the bridge in its corresponding aperture engaging such bridge, the other plungers being movable unobstructedly through their apertures.

EDWARD S. GIFFIN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,427,381 Heller Aug. 29, 1922 2,494,015 Tate et al Jan. 10, 1950 2,528,746 Gimn Nov. 7, 1950 

